Windows Server "8" takes some design cues from its desktop cousin.

The consumer preview of Windows 8 wasn't the only operating system code Microsoft dropped today. The company also released the Windows Server "8" beta, a work-in-progress version of the next generation of Microsoft's general-purpose server operating system, which the company calls "possibly the most significant release of Windows Server ever."

Windows Server 8 (Microsoft is calling it Windows Server "8", quotation marks included, leaving open the possibility that they might call it something else, but we will omit them for the remainder of this article) is really the first version of Microsoft's server OS to be built with virtualization and cloud deployments in mind. While Windows Server 2008 may have been the first to support Hyper-V, it and the rest of Microsoft's enterprise services weren't designed for Hyper-V environments from the ground up. In Windows Server 8's case, virtualization of servers is a fundamental reason for some of the biggest architectural changes it features—such as the new architecture of Active Directory's Domain Services, which makes it easier to virtualize domain controllers and to script configuration of Active Directory tasks for quick deployment to the cloud. And Windows 8 Server's server management tools treat virtual disk images and physical servers as equal citizens.

Like Windows 8 in its consumer version, Windows Server 8 has a Metro interface Start screen—but most administrators will hardly ever see it unless they navigate away from the desktop to find another tool. The lives of most admins will be spent in Server Manager, the dashboard-driven management tool that will allow them to control the configuration of all of the servers in their enterprise, and create scripts that can be used to automate the configuration of newly provisioned physical or virtual servers—in the enterprise or up in a cloud somewhere.

Installing Windows Server 8 and its baseline features is an entirely wizard-driven process, using PowerShell (Windows' command-line driven administrative interface) behind the scenes to configure remote servers. For the purposes of this walkthrough, we're assuming you're doing a fresh installation with the graphic user interface, either on a physical server or to a virtual machine. You can also perform the install as an upgrade to an existing Windows server, or install just the server "core." It's worth noting that choosing the full install or core doesn't mean quite the same thing as it has for previous versions of Windows Server—you can change the installation from one to the other without having to do a full operating system re-install.

Once you're past the initial selection of your installation, and coughed up an initial administrator password, Windows Server 8's install reboots, and brings you (after login) into its Server Manager dashboard. The dashboard walks administrators through initial configuration of the server itself, as well as that of other servers without the GUI. The first configuration step is to configure the server's roles—its purposes in life—and install additional features to support them. The server is automatically configured from first installation with a single role—file and storage services.

At first launch, the wizard asks whether the server will be configured based on roles and features, or if it will use a "scenario-based" approach to prepare the server. The only scenario-driven configuration in the current beta is for configuring the server to support remote desktop services, either through virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) or session virtualization. This first server is going to be our testbed Active Directory domain controller, so we'll follow the roles and features route.

You can assign roles and features to target servers from the Roles and Features Wizard, or write them to a virtual hard disk image for a virtual server to be provisioned later.

The next step is to pick a target server or virtual drive as an installation target. Picking a virtual drive means you can create an image that can be used by a virtual machine running in Hyper-V to provide the role being configured, so you can partition multiple Windows network services into several virtual machines running on the same server. In this case, we're just targeting the local machine for configuration.

Next, the wizard provides a check-list of roles to assign to the selected server. Clicking on each role provides a brief definition of the service, just for a sanity check. We're making this server the Active Directory domain controller, so we're going to select Active Directory Domain Services here and move on.

The wizard gives you a heads-up on feature dependencies, and lets you add them with a click.

Once we've clicked "Next", the wizard informs us of the other services and tools we'll need here—specifically, the Active Directory Administration Center management interface and other AD tools. Clicking "Add Feature" pre-checks these for the next step, selecting features to install.

Feature selection. More checkboxes. Fun.

The feature selection screen is much the same as the roles screen. If we didn't have a DNS server on the network already, we'd need to select that here, since AD DS requires one. We'll drill down on some of the other features here in our next hands-on.

Some helpful hits from the wizard on issues to consider with AD DS.

Once we've picked everything out, the Add Roles and Features Wizard gives us one last pre-roll set of notes about the roles we're installing to make sure we're absolutely clear on the repercussions of our choices—the features and services that will be added as a result, and configuration considerations. Add Active Directory Certificate Services to the mix of roles to be installed, and the wizard warns that the install should wait until we've promoted the server to domain controller—that's the main task we want to accomplish here. If you reconsider, the wizard lets you back out of any poor choices.

But wait, there's more: selecting role services.

For roles that have sub-services to consider, the wizard then brings up another set of checkboxes. Want COM+ support for your app server, or transaction processing? At this depth of check-box hell, the wisdom of being able to save configurations from the wizard for enterprise deployments becomes much more apparent.

When we finally get to click the "Install" button, there's no need to hang around. The wizard allows you to check off on rebooting the server as required to complete installations, and the wizard itself can be closed out—it's already sent the work to the server via a PowerShell in any case. And the configuration instructions generated by the wizard can be exported so that you can script this work and never have to do the check box dance again (or at least not the exact same one).

After the wizards are done, the Dashboard prompts you for follow-up.

After you leave the wizard behind, the Server Manager Dashboard flashes an alert for follow-up configuration work. Clicking on the yellow warning triangle in the dash yields a pull-down stack of tasks (outlined above in red), each connected to the tool required to achieve them. Another wizard, which also drives a PowerShell scripting engine, handles promotion of a server to Active Directory domain controller, for example.

All of the old standby administrative tools are still in Windows Server 8—you can find them in the Start screen. But it's clear that a lot of thought about the daily configuration tasks of server administrators has gone into the Server Manager, and it's likely that Microsoft will integrate more of the tasks admins face into its dashboard as Windows Server 8 matures.

Metro was expected in my opinion. Not because it is particularly suited for the server environment but simply because Microsoft wouldn't have to maintain two graphical frameworks for the lifecycle of Windows 8. Besides, going through the wizards once is a great way to "learn" about the new stuff. Script out the powershell and pour over it. Better than having to craft the powershell scripts from scratch and learn all the syntax changes to the new command line tool version at the same time.

I wouldn't be surprised if Core did away with the GUI front end and used Powershell exclusively. I believe that is what happens with Core for 2008 R2.

Metro on a Server 8 console is absolutely useless. However, if done right with proper widgets, it could be excellent for remotely administering a server using a tablet or on a large touch-screen monitor - preferably used only for monitoring infrastructure health.

Disclosure: having not yet actually experienced the new interface, I personally am very, very skeptical. Do not want. Also, I hate the ribbon interface.

That said, I thought about this after my initial reaction ebbed. I think this might be good because we're talking about less UI chrome. So many admins remote access servers via RDP (and other mechanisms) these days that all the extra glitzy interface crap that's been slapped on things becomes annoying. Exchange 2007 and 2010 are miserable unless you've got the Shell syntax memorized. (Which I don't, only needing it once every as-long-as-it-takes-to-forget.) Too much redrawing, too many nonstandard UI elements. MMC windows were very efficient to draw and work with.

So, my point is that flat bland chrome-light interfaces should be a lot faster via remote control. Which is a Good Thing.

MS is going to kill the adoption of Windows 8 in the enterprise if they force the garbage metro start screen (which is ok for tablets but AWFUL for a traditional mouse/keyboard) onto everyone.

This. We had a big enough shitstorm moving to Win 7 from XP (skipped Vista) because our users are to stupid to learn something different. I just can not even imagine the clusterfuck going to Win 8 would be unless there is some way to bring back the start menu.

If you came into a thread about Server to talk about how it will fail because of Metro, you're not a real server admin...and I say that as a Windows admin myself. Having the GUI is nice and all, but what makes adminstering many servers powerful is the ability to do it repeatedly and remotely, and automate as much as possible. PowerShell is the big story here, NOT Metro.

Also, the GUI is now uninstallable as just another component...so you don't have to have Metro, you can have nothing and administer things remotely from a workstation with administration tools, like it should be...

If you came into a thread about Server to talk about how it will fail because of Metro, you're not a real server admin...and I say that as a Windows admin myself. Having the GUI is nice and all, but what makes adminstering many servers powerful is the ability to do it repeatedly and remotely, and automate as much as possible. PowerShell is the big story here, NOT Metro.

If you came into a thread about Server to talk about how it will fail because of Metro, you're not a real server admin...and I say that as a Windows admin myself. Having the GUI is nice and all, but what makes adminstering many servers powerful is the ability to do it repeatedly and remotely, and automate as much as possible. PowerShell is the big story here, NOT Metro.

Also, the GUI is now uninstallable as just another component...so you don't have to have Metro, you can have nothing and administer things remotely from a workstation with administration tools, like it should be...

As a fellow network admin, so much THIS.

And yes, the GUI looks way lighter weight for RDP. Actually, it is a step closer to vector conversion where one could eliminate the CPU and bandwidth overhead of compressing tiles and sending them over the connection and just describing layout or as a stopgap, cached element positioning.

Also, for all the naysayers of the "Start Screen" please note the size of the "Desktop" tile and its prominent position. The only other fix I could contribute would be adding CMD and PowerShell tiles the same size and similar premium placement.

Please note that the window elements, buttons, text, and fields appear sized and proportioned for easy scalability to other resolutions, making tablet administration reasonable as well.

Whether or not Metro takes off as a UI, appreciate the fact that Microsoft is at least willing to take risks. If you looked at the average (<-- important word here) corporate desktop, strewn with dozens of individual Excel and Word document icons, you would realize while the Win9x, XP, and 7 UI's are not broken, their common usage is. The "Start Screen" isn't aimed at the power user or techie who knows wtf they are doing. It's aimed at everyone else who doesn't know about folder structures or Belvedere or Libraries or any other sense of file organization.

Honestly, I'm far more excited about WS8 than W8. Metro, while it looks cool, just feels tacked on in an ugly way.

It reminds me of the way XP still had ugly 3.1-holdbacks (the Font interface, among other things).

I feel the same way about what Apple has done with Lion and the stupid Launchpad thing. A computer with a keyboard (even with a touchpad) is not a fucking touchscreen tablet. Quit trying to force the interface where it doesn't make sense.

No Metro on Windows Server 8 would mean crappy user experience in RDP or Citrix sessions for tablet users. Who would want that? As far as administration is concerned, I don't see a problem. Can't agree more with Lemurs.

Nothing in that metro UI can't be reproduced in basic web standards. As for powershell, does Windows Server provide ssh access, I've only used RDP in the past? If so, then with ssh and web access for gui driven management you don't even need RDP making remote management much lighter weight.

What a joke. Some of the tiles can't even display the whole text label. Then there's the Internet Explorer tile that seems to think it's the most important tile of them all. I know it's a beta, but surely they could have paid a little more attention to detail considering this is one of the first and most prominent changes users will see?

MS is going to kill the adoption of Windows 8 in the enterprise if they force the garbage metro start screen (which is ok for tablets but AWFUL for a traditional mouse/keyboard) onto everyone.

This. We had a big enough shitstorm moving to Win 7 from XP (skipped Vista) because our users are to stupid to learn something different. I just can not even imagine the clusterfuck going to Win 8 would be unless there is some way to bring back the start menu.

So a big company can't bring something completely new to the table, just because it is different, and people are to dumb to learn something new? Even if it were a lot better, more efficient and more powerful? We are stuck with the traditional desktop interface for all time? That's just stupid and sad.

What i really don't like about Win 8 Server is, how every major component seems to be a traditional desktop app. It means MS themselves don't believe in Metro being efficient enough for enterprises.

Honestly, I'm far more excited about WS8 than W8. Metro, while it looks cool, just feels tacked on in an ugly way.

It reminds me of the way XP still had ugly 3.1-holdbacks (the Font interface, among other things).

I feel the same way about what Apple has done with Lion and the stupid Launchpad thing. A computer with a keyboard (even with a touchpad) is not a fucking touchscreen tablet. Quit trying to force the interface where it doesn't make sense.

Lions touch-elements work pretty well with Apples multi-touch trackpads. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.

Someone in the consumer thread mentioned "discoverability". I can't tell you how relieved I felt to find a word that somewhat captures the inchoate panic and suffocation rising within me as I look at these start screens.

It takes me forever to scan that square for what I want. It wastes a colossal amount of space. It will scale like shit; just try to picture 100 apps installed on the machine and you will have... what? A 10x10 grid of indecipherable squares. My first thought is "where is my stuff?"

Sean, will you cover the "real" features of WS8? MetroUI allows for easier administrative tasks perhaps, but I would love to see in depth coverage of some the new core features you mentioned above, as well as others I have heard. Thanks.

They're leaving way too much stuff out of Windows 8 on ARM for that to happen.

Actually, the only thing being left behind that I can tell is backwards compat for 3rd party apps. Otherwise, it appears to be all of Windows. Windows Server on ARM running IIS8 would probably compile and run just fine, and I have a hard time figuring out what else an ARM server would be good for other than hosting web sites. I bet they do it at some point in the future, maybe Win9 or whatever comes next.

Now Star Trek style walking down the hall with my tablet checking in on my servers is just cool. I like what you did there.

Now if only somebody would come up with a true LCARS interface, and not just a skin. I would briefly want it, and then not.

Is LCARS even a usable touch screen GUI? I never bothered to really dive deeper into it other than to accept that there was engineering behind it when I watched the shows/movies.

There was no engineering behind it. Most LCARS screens - even ones actively being used by crew members - are a piece of plastic over a backlight. Nothing happens when you push on it. Well OK, it "beeps" but we'll add that in post ;-)

Unfortunately it's a nice, touch-friendly initial UI overlaying the same exact UI underneath. So while I could certainly tap Server Manager and then tap Add Roles and Features, I cannot really do all the rest of the work from a nice tablet.

(I *could*, to be sure, but it would still be the usual checkbox/form-based interface and the tablet would be constantly zooming in and out while I filled out all of the boxes/fields necessary for my work)

Metro would actually be useful for branch sites that have nothing but a rack and server. Get Server 8, a touch screen LCD and leave it be. No messing with a keyboard and mouse laying on the floor or under a pile of Christmas junk the people left laying around. Just a screen and server. It would be very handy when you've got 300 sites all over a city that you need to access in person at various times.

Useless for remote work, which I will admit is 99.9% of the way people will interface with Server 8.

That said, I cannot stand the metro interface in Windows 8 Desktop. It is worse than Vista.

Bah! It looks hideous!!!! It seems that Metro works fine for very basic phone apps but I don't think the "design language" is sophisticated enough to support complex applications. iOS and Android have more flexibility in their UI elements and especially with iOS everything about the app is ON THE SCREEN not swipe this, hover that..... Crap.....

Sean Gallagher / Sean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.